South by Snapshot: Friday

Some people start their day with a run, maybe a PowerBar and a nice fruit smoothie -- but at SXSW you start by slugging back Bloody Marys from the open bar, while watching a band you've never heard of play funk-rock.

Some people start their day with a run, maybe a PowerBar and a nice fruit smoothie -- but at South by Southwest you start it at Filter Magazine's High Noon party, slugging back Bloody Marys from the open bar, while watching a band you've never heard of named Grand Ole Party, a funky San Diego trio that sounds like The White Stripes covering Jefferson Airplane. (For a 1 p.m. performance, Grand Ole was way better than they had any right to be, thanks to the efforts of the band's drummer, Kristin, who pulls a Phil Collins and doubles as the singer.) Needless to say, if you'd rather be running, Austin is not your kind of scene.

The most ridiculously awesome promotional venue:

The Fader/Levis house. In previous years, the Fader space was relatively intimate, a simple one-room gifting suite leading to a fenced in backyard with a low stage in the back. This year, the Fader space has swelled to a near-city-block-sized complex called "The Fort," where radio stations broadcast live, bloggers cry into their free Internet, and Zune attempts to convince people that it is -- really, people! -- better than an iPod. Here, a quick photographic tour of the excess:

Photograph by Jeff Miller

The gifting room/store, where local bands from Indiana get treated like rock stars and you sit, stunned, that someone actually pays $350 for jeans.

Photograph by Jeff Miller

Adult Swim headquarters, including unplayable but awesomely decorated guitars, not to be confused with...

Photograph by Jeff Miller

Code Zero, a wall decorated with 12,457 numbers, some of which are written on...

Photograph by Jeff Miller

Unplayable but awesomely decorated guitars!

Photograph by Jeff Miller

The "WTF" award for least-appropriate promotional costume:

Considering the fact Austin closed off most of where SXSW is taking place a few weeks back because dozens of dead (presumably poisoned) birds were inexplicably littering the streets, you'd think a no-name band would avoid dressing a man in a white lab coat, afro wig, and gas mask. But then you'd be wrong.

The best (and only) reason to go to the SXSW trade show, the giant corporate hall where shameless marketers play grab-ass and the real reason why SXSW exists:

To pick up badges for Saturday's invite-only Spin magazine party -- featuring Buzzcocks, Kings of Leon (who are also playing Saturday night's Esquire party), and The Fratellis.

Photograph by Jeff Miller

The worst reason to go to the trade show:

Apparently, to "work" at the Radio & Records booth. Perhaps this is why both radio and records are dying.

An all-girl oddball Japanese rock band! And all six members dress up like Jerry Dammers and Terry Hall. And they barely speak English. And they play ska-punk with irony-free abandon. And they convince an entirely jaded audience to sit... and then jump around in frenzied release. Ladies and gentlemen, we present our first (and possibly only) contender for best discovery of the festival: OreskaBand!

Strangest DJ set:

Playboy Magazine's extremely exclusive after-hours party was supposed to feature hot, barely dressed women and a rare, presumably awesome DJ set from Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke -- who promptly cleared the room by playing (in order) "Push It" by Salt n' Pepa, "Buffalo Stance" by Neneh Cherry, and "Creep" by TLC.

Illustration by Gustavo Gonzalez

Lily Allen vs. Amy Winehouse, Round 2:

Early in the day, it seemed like Allen was going to win this bout by TKO -- Winehouse was still nowhere to be seen, rumors persisted that she was home in a pile of her own drunk, and reports back from Allen's show were mostly hype-belief positive. Then: Winehouse is spotted in a hotel elevator. She's here. And on stage at the Eternal nightclub, she belted through songs from her soul-drenched debut with confidence and charisma -- though her on-stage demeanor consisted of little more than a winky lean.

Still, not everyone was impressed. Namely, today's celebrity judge, Nic Harcourt -- the host of KCRW's influential morning show "Morning Becomes Eclectic." "I think they both have a rep for being talented and outspoken -- the comparison is between two outspoken young women making music. It surprises me. I guess we've got a long way to go." That's the high road.

This is the low one: Winehouse wins Friday 10-9 just for showing up. After two days, we're all tied up: Lily Allen, 1; Amy Winehouse, 1.

Photograph by Jeff Miller

T-shirt of the day:

This guy. Because liking Kelly Clarkson is all about flashing the devil horns, giving people the rock lock, and the kind of mustache only Lynryd Skynyrd would love.

Band trend alert!

After years of power duos like The White Stripes, Lightning Bolt, DFA '79, the Black Keys and the Blood Brothers, the three piece is back! And the Whigs are leading the cahrge, blasting through My Morning Jacket-ish roars without an auxillary guitarist, keyboardist, flautist, percussionist, or performance artist.

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